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       #Post#: 1143--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:31 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 7
       Qibli
       "Carnelian!" Qibli's wings snapped open, and he hurtled
       toward the mountain peak. Winter was hot on his heels.
       Right before his eyes, he saw Carnelian throw herself off
       the ledge she had been perching on. Now that he was closer, he
       could see the expression on her face.
       Torment. A twisted expression of pure despair. Her wings
       were pressed tightly against her own body; not tied, but tucked
       in of her own volition. She wanted to die.
       "Stop! STOP!" Winter shot past him, putting on a burst of
       speed. His frantic voice urged Qibli to beat his wings even
       faster. Bandit, who Qibli had forgotten about, clung tightly to
       his neck, but didn't say anything.
       Carnelian plummeted to the ground, right before Winter's
       outstretched talons. He immediately dived after her, but her
       body crashed first. It hit the ground with a sickening crack.
       Winter's wings stopped beating, and he started to fall.
       Qibli caught him, holding him in his talons until they both
       lighted down on the blood-stained ground.
       A few feet away, the crimson scales of Carnelian lay
       motionless. A scarlet array of blood lined the stone under and
       behind her. The two of them stood frozen, slowly being circled
       by a crowd of the other students.
       "What's going on?"
       "Who's that?"
       "What an idiot."
       "Someone must've dared her."
       Winter's face contorted, and he snapped at the dragons
       around him. "Shut up! Someone call one of the teachers, we need
       to get her to the infirmary."
       "Infirmary? Burial, more like." A Nightwing from the crowd
       muttered. Qibli talked over the student, so that Winter wouldn't
       hear the remark. "I'll go get one of the dragonets, please watch
       her Winter."
       "No need." An urgent voice reached his ears, and he turned
       around to see Sunny and a Seawing approaching.
       "Tsunami, let's move her carefully." Sunny said to her
       companion, who nodded.
       "We'll help." Qibli carefully stepped into the blood
       seeping out of Carnelian, and clenched his talons around her
       shoulders. Winter helped hoist up her waist. Sunny stepped
       forward, but was nosed away by Tsunami. The Seawing teacher's
       eye ridges were fixed in a distressed expression, and she was
       growling.
       "Do you know what caused this?" Sunny asked Qibli, who
       settled Carnelian's body in a more comfortable position in his
       talons. Tsunami swung her head around to look at him, waiting
       intently for a response.
       "I-I don't know. Maybe... she was attending his class last
       night--"
       "OH NO!" A flamboyant voice carried over the murmuring
       crowd, and an unwelcome sight pushed through toward them. "What
       happened to Carnelian? Who did this?" Cardinal quickly shoved
       off Qibli's and Winter's talons, and relieved them of their
       burden. "You two, you are truly gallant to request to help, but
       you must go to your classes now, please. I shall handle this."
       Cardinal also nudged off Tsunami's talons, while Qibli and
       Winter crept up to take a final look at their friend.
       
       Blood was splashed all over her head, obscuring her features.
       Her mouth was slightly ajar. Carnelian was still breathing, her
       flank rising up and down. A bloody hole had appeared in her
       waist, courtesy of a pointed rock that she had fallen upon. One
       of her wings was completely bent the other way; the "wrist" bone
       had been snapped clean in half.
       Just before her body was carted off, a familiar voice
       reached their ears.
       "Hey.. you guys?" Carnelian's eyes cracked open, only dull
       slits.
       Qibli was aware of Cardinal's prescence, and chose his
       words carefully. "You're going to be alright." Qibli took her
       talon in his, and squeezed it. Winter forced a smile, and
       repeated Qibli's words.
       "Huh..." Carnelian's eyes opened a little bit more. The
       crowd had fallen silent. Sunny and Tsunami hovered nearby, not
       quite part of the conversation.
       "If you two are in front of me... who's carrying me?"
       Carnelian's eyes roved slowly, and her voice started to fade.
       "Alright, sorry to break this up, but we need to go to the
       infirmary." Tsunami cut in, and Cardinal quickly started moving
       away, hiding Carnelian's face in his arms. Just before that
       though, Qibli caught the look on Carnelian's face.
       
       Fear.
       
       As soon as the teachers hurried past them into the mountain, the
       muttering started up. The other students talked about the
       incident for a few moments, before seemingly losing interest.
       The chatter soon switched to more cheerful topics, as the
       students flooded inside to begin classes.
       "Winter... we need to go." Qibli hesitantly nudged the
       Icewing. Winter clenched his teeth, as if about to roar at him,
       but then all the tension flowed away from his body.
       "Right." Winter said softly, and walked into the Academy
       without another word.
       
       ~~~
       
       Their next class was History, taught by a former member of
       the Talons of Peace. Sitting down and hearing someone drone
       about the Scorching is boring enough without the morning's
       activites hanging over my head. Winter had remained silent,
       while Bandit chattered endlessly in comparison. The
       puma/dragon's remarks were a good distraction, but Qibli knew he
       would have to talk to Winter sooner or later.
       "Ugh, did you really have to give me some mangoes? I want
       fish! FIIIIISH!" Bandit complained loudly, attracting a couple
       odd looks from the passing dragons.
       "They were out of fish, Bandit. There even was a little
       spat over it, didn't you see that Seawing princess storm away
       with her nose held high? I didn't want to get into that."
       "Hmmph. Be earlier next time. I crave tuna!" Bandit flopped
       over, dramatically flailing a paw in the air while exposing his
       white, fluffy underbelly. Qibli had tied a pink ribbon around
       Bandit's neck, given to him by Sunny. He had nagged her about
       Carnelian shortly after the lunch break, but she wouldn't say
       anything. She apologized, saying that once she recovered he
       would be the first to know. Then she noticed Bandit hanging from
       Qibli's neck, and gushed over him. At the end, she ran to her
       sleeping cave and gave him a cute, pink ribbon. Qibli was just
       thinking of finding something similar, due to a close call that
       had happened. In the cafeteria cave, Qibli was sifting through a
       pile of lizards and gazelles while Bandit tried to nab a fish
       from the formerly plentiful pile. One of the Nightwings set his
       eyes on the puma and was about to catch him when Qibli bowled
       him over. The whole encounter almost brought a smile back to
       Winter's face. Almost.
       That was the reason Qibli was grateful for the ribbon.
       Perhaps it would hint to the others that this cat was not prey.
       It would certainly help; keeping Bandit out of someone's stomach
       was driving him mad. Also, asking Sunny about Carnelian almost
       made them late to the class, and they had to hurry over. We're
       taking the class with another Winglet today. I wonder if they're
       all there. Qibli thought while turning the corner. He saw Moon
       and Kinkajou already waiting once he arrived. "Oh! Hey!" Qibli
       called out, making an attempt at being cheerful.
       "Hi!" The Rainwing said, scales shooting through with pink
       and yellow at the sound of their voices. Kinkajou glanced
       sympathetically at Winter, who had his head down. Blue and gray
       blossomed on her scales.
       Qibli prodded Winter behind the shoulder. He reeled back
       and snarled, before noticing it was Qibli. "Uh, yes?"
       "Nothing much. Do you want to say something?" Qibli tilted
       his head to the side.
       "Oh, yes. Right. Ahem." Winter awkwardly trotted over to
       Moonwatcher, not looking at who he was approaching. "Hello.
       What's your name?" He mumbled.
       Moon didn't respond. Her eyes seemed glassy, as if her
       brain was on another continent. Winter looked up in confusion,
       and jumped back. "Oh! You." He seemed flustered. Qibli
       intervened before it could get any more awkward.
       "Uh...let's go inside. We're late already, and the others
       must be inside."
       "Well, Bigtail and Tamarin are inside already. Still
       waiting on Umber, Turtle, Icicle, and Sora. Actually, the
       teacher isn't here yet either, I didn't see him go in." Kinkajou
       chattered, still next to Moon and Winter.
       "Oh, do you know the teacher? You knew Clay too... nice
       connections."
       "Yeah! The dragonets brought him to the Rainforest, where I
       helped them with their adventures." Kinkajou puffed out her
       chest, with a sideways glance at Moon. When the Nightwing didn't
       respond, Kinkajou drooped back down, sighing. "Well, let's go
       then." Kinkajou took a step forward. Qibli beckoned to Winter,
       and put a talon in the classroom.
       
       "DON'T!" Moon suddenly screamed out. Qibli saw her leap at him,
       a dart of black scales pushing him out of the way as the world
       exploded.
       
       Throbbing pain blistered across his back, and his legs were sore
       from slamming on the ground. Qibli's eyes were shut tight,
       temporarily blinded by the bright flash.
       "H-hey!" Winter's voice came from above him, and an icy
       claw pried open his eyelid. Qibli groaned, and lifted his head
       up.
       
       The classroom roared with flame. Even from the hallway, the heat
       was fierce. Kinkajou was crouched nearby, unscathed. Her eyes
       were wide open.
       A couple feet from the entrance, Moon's body lay. The side
       facing the wildfire was scorched and bleeding. Strangely-shaped
       shrapnel had dug their way under her scales. Winter snapped out
       of his stupor, and leaped toward the blaze.
       "What's going on?" A frigid voice cut through the mayhem.
       Another Icewing, the same color as Winter, charged forward. A
       terrified Mudwing trailed after her.
       The Mudwing stopped next to Qibli, watching with horror.
       "It wasn't su--" Qibli didn't hear the rest of her statement,
       since he also dove toward the fire.
       The two Icewings blasted away with their frostbreath,
       extinguishing the fires. Their pale blue scales reflected the
       flickering tongues, glittering brightly. Qibli could feel his
       eyes drying out, but he persisted. He dragged Moon away from the
       entrance and dropped her next to Kinkajou. "Take care of her."
       Qibli said hurriedly. The Rainwing nodded soundlessly, still in
       shock.
       Soon, the flare died down, and the classroom had a new,
       frigid sheen. Winter and Icicle were grimly surveying the
       damage.
       The wooden desks had all been charred, as well as the map
       in front of the classroom. Jagged pieces of what once was a
       bookshelf were piled in the corner. Qibli's stomach lurched when
       he stepped on something that felt like dragon scales. It was a
       dragon corpse, burnt beyond recognition.
       "Ah!" The female Mudwing from earlier had entered the room.
       Her talons were clasped over her talons as she looked at the
       burnt remains.
       "Hey! I found a survivor." Winter's sister carelessly flung
       away the wooden shards, revealing a trembling form. The dragon
       was curled in the fetal position. Her body was badly burnt; the
       scales that could be seen were pure white. Qibli carefully
       hoisted her onto his back, and walked out the room.
       Kinkajou let out a squeak. "Tamarin!" She had been bending
       over Moon, watching her with worried eyes. Now, the Rainwing
       shot to her feet, her scales an alarming lime-green. Qibli
       crouched down, allowing Kinkajou to whisper to her unconscious
       friend. He heard the same remarks that he had told Carnelian.
       Two incidents in one day... Fate must despise us. Qibli looked
       at Turtle and Umber, who were standing off to the side.
       "Get the founders." Qibli ordered them, and they promptly
       scrabbled away. He relaxed, exhausted. He dimly heard an
       exclamation of surprise, and heavy footsteps approaching.
       "Here, let me take her." Clay's voice came from his right,
       and Qibli saw all four of the founders. Fatespeaker, the chipper
       Nightwing who had handed out scrolls, was supporting Starflight.
       The libarian's eyes were wrapped in leaves, and he stumbled a
       bit as he walked over.
       "You must be tired." Bandit padded over. "I caught their
       attention and led them over here. Leave it to them now." The
       feline jumped onto his shoulders. "Come on." Bandit flicked his
       tail in Winter's face.
       Clay carried Tamarin, while Tsunami carried Moon. The body
       of Bigtail was left, to be removed later. As he traveled back to
       his sleeping cave, Qibli bumped into the walls, not looking
       where he was going. It was Winter's turn to guide him back to
       their sleeping cave. Turtle and Umber were already there,
       whispering nervously. Qibli walked past them, and collapsed on
       the sand. He didn't bother to pull a camel pelt over him. He
       could faintly hear Bandit's voice, but sleep claimed him; Qibli
       relaxed his muscles, welcoming the darkness.[/font]
       #Post#: 1144--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:34 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 8 pt. 1
       Qibli
       "Hey! Rise and Shine! Get up numbskull." Ah, a pleasantly
       rude awakening. Qibli swatted Bandit away from his snout, and
       lifted his head up. He looked around drearily, and then plopped
       back down. "HEY! GET UP!" Bandit pounced on his nose and
       scratched at his eyelids. "Mreeeeh." Qibli muttered, and turned
       over.
       "Come on. We might be able to see Carnelian." Winter's
       serrated claws stopped right in front of Qibli's face. "Also,
       it's noon."
       "What?! Really!?" Qibli's head snapped back up, and Bandit
       fell off with an angry hiss.
       "See? This is why you maintain a good sleep schedule. From
       now on, I'll be monitoring your sleep carefully. Do you hear me
       young man?" Bandit indignantly meowed at Qibli from below him;
       Qibli was too busy exiting the cave to notice.
       "So, which classes did I miss?" Qibli paced outside the
       cave. No other students seemed to be around, which only
       furthered his anxiety.
       "Actually today was declared a free day. No classes, you
       can goof off for the entire day. That's why I thought we should
       go visit her." Winter stepped in Qibli's path, stopping him.
       "Let us not dally. Come on." Winter swiftly turned in the
       opposite direction, and trotted off. Bandit ran out of the
       sleeping cave and jumped on Qibli's neck. The cat-dragon sighed
       as he watched Winter's retreating form.
       Bandit had a dreamy expression on his face. "He's so
       hot..."
       Qibli sneezed.
       "Let's go then. Hold on Bandit." Qibli raced on after his
       Icewing friend, while Bandit hung on for dear life.
       
       ~~~
       
       "Please don't make too much noise. She's sleeping over there." A
       gentle Rainwing directed them over to a bed by the window, There
       were two other Rainwings, all of which radiated calming hues of
       blue and purple. The beds were made of large, leafy fronds as
       well as soft animal pelts. Qibli noticed Moon lying on a leaf
       pile, located in a shadowy corner of the infirmary. Her side was
       bandaged and she was breathing steadily. However, her eye kept
       twitching, and her face seemed disturbed; it was as if she was
       having a nightmare.
       Carnelian lay next to a leaf-covered window, bright
       sunlight illuminating her red scales. Her tormented expression
       had been lifted, and she slept peacefully. Suddenly, as they
       crept closer, her eyes shot open.
       "Took you long enough." she muttered, eyes darting. "Come
       in closer, don't let the nurse see me awake. They'll start
       fussing again."
       Qibli stood silent for a beat, shocked. Once the Skywing's
       words sunk in, he quickly crouched down and blocked the view of
       the nurses. "Hold on, I thought you were in a serious
       condition?"
       "I'm... a lot better now. I woke up this morning, and the
       nurses went crazy. I don't want a repeat of that. Plus, they
       immediately ran to get Cardinal, who acted like he was concerned
       and everything." Carnelian's eyes seemed unfocused when she
       talked about the Skywing teacher.
       "So, something did happen during that lesson?" Winter
       crowded in close, whispering.
       "...Yes. I-I don't want to talk about it." Carnelian's
       voice quivered; it seemed like she was about to cry. "Anyway!
       Not what I wanted to talk about." Carnelian gazed intently at
       Qibli. "We need to go back. Please. We need to... change his
       heart? Is that right, Bandit?"
       "So, you've decided?" Bandit jumped down from Qibli's neck.
       "Alright then. I'll teach you how--"
       "Hold up! You can't just jump in now, you're seriously
       hurt!" Qibli pleaded, but Carnelian shook her head.
       "I'm completely healed. Don't ask me how!" Qibli had opened
       his mouth to protest, but was shot down. She can't have had
       healed completely, in just one day! That's not possible.
       "It's true. Everything except my broken wing has been
       healed." Carnelian wiggled the wing, wincing a bit. The fracture
       had been wrapped with leaves, and a sturdy wooden stick formed a
       cast. "We don't need to fly in that palace. We can go home
       easily too. Please. We need to do this, and I'm coming with
       you."
       "Didn't you say that we should talk to the Skywing
       students first? This method Bandit mentioned, it seems far too
       outlandish! It was supposed to be a last resort." Winter
       responds, making a furtive glance at the Rainwing nurses.
       "It just won't work. It won't." Carnelian whispered, her
       voice breaking. "Trust me. We have no more options."
       Winter and Qibli looked at each other. Something had
       clearly happened, causing Carnelian to make such a conclusion.
       "Okie, okie." Bandit meowed, licking his paw. "Guess we
       should get going then. Today's a free day anyway, right? C'mon!"
       Bandit leaped onto Qibli, a bit too excited considering the grim
       atmosphere.
       Qibli shot the puma an annoyed look, before clasping the
       odd necklace. "Both times, the voice came from this pendant."
       Qibli muttered to Carnelian and Winter. "When I said, 'return to
       our world', or something along those lines, we came back.
       However...how did we get there?"
       "Carnelian released that huge rant, right before we were
       tossed in." Winter reasoned. "What did you say."
       "I talked about Cardinal." Carnelian started, before a
       voice interrupted her.
       Coordinates found.
       "Looks like we have to input keywords." Qibli reasoned.
       "What else did you say."
       "I mentioned a castle. How he was the 'king of the castle'.
       Wasn't the palace a castle?"
       Coordinates found.
       "We're getting closer! What was the last part."
       "I said that we must be the only ones in Jade Mountain
       Academy to not have fallen for his story,"
       Destination found.
       
       The world swirled, as we willingly dove into the world of
       cognition and desire.[/font]
       #Post#: 1145--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:47 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 8 pt. 2
       Qibli
       Bandit stretched his talons, and landed neatly on the
       ground. Winter, Carnelian, and Qibli sprawled in a tangled mess
       of scales and wings. Bandit examined his scales, and pounced on
       a nearby pebble. "Finally! I'm back! Sweet, sweet wings~" The
       Rainwing flung open his wings, flaring pink and yellow.
       "Psst! Stop it!" Qibli extracted himself, and gave Bandit a
       thwack on the head. The Rainwing quickly changed his scales back
       to their original black and gray.
       "Our goal is to not get discovered again, I hope you keep
       that in mind, Bandit." Winter said frostily. He offered a talon
       to Carnelian, but the Skywing was already in her feet. She
       really is healed. How? Perhaps... an animus? Is there such a
       dragon among the students?
       "Don't worry, I know. I won't be careless. That prison was
       horrible." Bandit gave his scales a once over. "Which brings me
       to our next point. We need codenames."
       "Codenames? That sounds cool! I like it." Carnelian walked
       over. "What's the occasion though?"
       "I mentioned this before, didn't I? The Metaverse is a
       world based on cognitive images. It's made of distorted
       realities that a dragon's heart projects. What do you think'll
       happen if we yell our real names around? We need to be stealthy
       thieves, invisible. We need to be... phantom thieves." Bandit
       finished with an accomplished smile. "That sounds cool,
       doesn't?"
       "That's not the point Bandit. Although, I see where you're
       coming from. Alright then. What are your suggestions?" Qibli
       replied. He placed a talon on his jaw, and he realized something
       was there. "Wait... huh?"
       "Oh, didn't you notice before? That's your mask. It shows
       that you're a dragon with a great will of rebellion; a.k.a. a
       Persona user! The fact that it showed up means that the Palace
       ruler views us as a threat." Bandit inspects Qibli's face, and
       the "mask" that rests on it.
       It was a pharaoh's headdress, framing Qibli's face. It is
       shaped like the hood of a cobra, and the carving of such a snake
       is erected at the very top. It is forever locked in a ferocious
       hiss, its forked tongue tasting the air. The overall color is
       gold, with red stripes along the sides. Straps of what appear to
       be bandages obscure the area around Qibli's eyes. Openings are
       left for his obsidian eyes to peek through.
       "Ooh, nice. Egyptian themed! Your Persona is Set, right?"
       Bandit sits on his haunches, and ponders.
       "Why don't we call you 'Cobra' then?" Carnelian offers,
       smiling excitedly. "There's a cobra figure on your mask, and it
       sounds pretty Egyptian."
       "Um, I'd rather not." Qibli said hurriedly. When Carnelian
       shot him a confused look, he quickly rambled on. "W-well, that
       name brings up too many bad memories. 'Cobra' was someone I used
       to know. I would prefer it if I wasn't named after her." Even
       now, the memories threatened to resurface.
       "Oh! Sorry..." Carnelian went back to brainstorming.
       Winter turned to Bandit.
       "Hmm, what do you want to be called then?" The Icewing
       questioned.
       "Let's see... Oh! I know! I'm 'Pounce'!" Bandit puffed out
       his chest. "Doesn't that sound super dangerous? It's perfect for
       someone like me."
       "Uh...Yeah. Sure." A skeptical Carnelian looked at Bandit.
       "Well, back to Qibli then. Any suggestions?"
       "How about... Pharaoh?" Bandit looked at Qibli for
       confirmation. "Sound good?"
       "Yeah. Sounds good." Pharaohs were the rulers of Egypt
       right? It has a nice ring to it. Qibli smirked. "Call me
       Pharaoh, then."
       "It's settled then. Now our turn!" Carnelian gushed
       cheerfully. "Hmm, maybe--"
       "Not you guys. You don't need to come." Bandit cut in. "You
       don't have powers. It's dangerous."
       "We have our claws, and our frostbreath. Firebreath too."
       Winter retorted. "We will not miss this."
       "Ugh, fine. Be idiots. We'll have to expend extra effort to
       protect you guys." 'Pounce' turned away from the group and began
       creeping along the castle wall.
       'Pharaoh' quickly followed, trailed by Winter and
       Carnelian. Pounce stopped at the chute they had exited from
       before. He leaped through the slanted opening, and entered the
       Palace. Everyone else followed suit.
       
       Inside the Palace, it was eerily quiet. Pharaoh pricked his
       ears, alert for any sound.
       Suddenly, a wail pierced the air. It came from far away,
       but still brought a chill down their spines.
       "...Ooook. Let's avoid that area." Qibli said nervously.
       "We just need to find the Treasure, right?"
       "Are you not curious? We should investigate." Winter
       whispered from behind.
       "He's right. It might help lead us to the Treasure too."
       Pounce angled his body in the direction that the scream had come
       from. The Rainwing leaped, and hit the ground running. He
       crouched behind a creepy bust of Cardinal, peering at the
       surroundings. Pharaoh caught up to him.
       Up ahead a drawbridge was locked in the "upright" position.
       Past the trench, another pathway led. It glowed with light.
       "We should head over there. The brightly lit areas must be
       more populated right? The treasure is probably at the heart of
       the castle. However..." Pounce carefully padded toward the
       lifted bridge. "We need to lower it. There has to be some sort
       mechanism nearby."
       "Uhh, can't we just fly over? I mean, I can't, but everyone
       else's wings are fine." Carnelian scraped one of her forelegs
       against the other. "Maybe I shouldn't have come..."
       "No. no flying. The guards can see us clearly if we fly
       across, and we can't afford to be noticed. We'll have to find
       the mechanism for lowering the drawbridge." Pounce inspected the
       area around him.
       "The guards probably know, right? Why don't we wait for
       one? Or we could draw one over." Pharaoh had an idea forming.
       "I guess, but what are the chances of a guard coming over?
       Also, if we lured one over, why would they lower the
       drawbridge?" Pounce shook his head dismissively.
       "Hey, c'mon. Don't be like that. I'm proposing that we make
       a ruckus on the other side. We have Personas, right?"
       "Alright. It's worth a shot. What will you do about the
       guard though?"
       "We eliminate them of course. It's not like they're real
       beings." Pharaoh said decisively, and summoned Set. "Let's try
       this out. Garu!"
       On the other side, the powerful gust of wind swept the
       empty prison doors closed with a bang. Loose crates were
       launched, and broke against the iron bars. Pounce summoned
       Zorro, and repeated the spell. Winter and Carnelian ducked in a
       vacant prison cell, and Pharaoh and Pounce joined them soon
       after.
       [font=courier]"Hey! What's going on?"[/font] Heavy clanking
       filled Pharaoh's ears, and an armored guard emerged. He held his
       breath, tense.
       [font=courier]"It came from the other side. Let's check it
       out."[/font] Another guard appeared, and the two of them moved
       toward the drawbridge. Pharaoh listened intently for others, but
       found none. Just two. This'll be easy.
       Not noticing the glittering eyes fixed on them, the guards
       moved to the bust of Cardinal. The bust was an identical copy of
       the flamboyant dragon. The statue's mouth was open. What
       appeared to be a valiant expression was fixed on his face.
       Pharaoh felt someone quivering behind him, but paid no heed.
       The first guard that had arrived stuck a foreleg into the
       statue's mouth. Soon after, the drawbridge began to slowly
       lower, filling the area with a loud creaking noise.
       Pharaoh saw a black shape dart past him, and quickly
       followed. Following Pounce's action, Pharaoh tore off the mask
       on the second guard. Both of them melted into goo, before
       surging back up with a roar.
       This time, the two guards reformed into what appeared to be
       scavengers with insect wings. The tuft of fur on their heads had
       been grouped into a bun, and they wore blue dresses.
       Weird... Pharaoh let out another blast of wind, but the
       target didn't fade. The fairy fluttered over and kicked him in
       the stomach. Pounce quickly pulled something out of a pouch on
       his back. It was a slingshot. He quickly plopped a stone into
       the holder and fired at the monster. The stone hit it squarely
       in the back, and the fairy exploded into black and red clumps.
       Pounce reloaded, and fired at the other fairy. It fell onto the
       ground.
       "I guess you really are an amuteur. Come on! It's down,
       let's pummel it." Pharaoh followed Pounce's lead, and hit the
       enemy with everything he had. The fairy exploded just like its
       friend.
       "Looks like you need to know the basics. First, reach into
       that pouch on your back." Pharaoh did as Pounce said, and
       found... nothing.
       "Nothing, right? Well, imagine a slingshot. Wood in your
       talons, a stone in your pouch. This is a cognitive world, after
       all. In such a fantasy world, there will certainly be some funky
       things going on. Our enemies aren't the only ones who can
       project their alternate realities. Next time we encounter one of
       those fairies, try it out." Pounce put his slingshot away, and
       continued. "Also, the monsters you've seen are called 'Shadows'.
       They're beings that live in the dragon psyche, among the sea of
       dragon souls. They're only damaged by Personas, and Persona
       users. You two can't do anything." Bandit pointed at Winter and
       Carnelian. "Also, you've noticed how you can make that
       green-tinted wind right? That's the element of your Persona.
       Each Persona has an element, a certain moveset. Some Personas
       learn healing magic along with their element, or can boost the
       strength of the wielder, or can learn powerful physical skills.
       So far, we only know a little, but we'll learn more moves as we
       grow stronger. I brought up elements, because of my next point;
       Shadows have weaknesses and strengths. They are weak to certain
       elements, resist certain elements, are immune to certain
       elements, might reflect certain elements, and even absorb
       certain elements. Each shadow has been programmed to be
       different, experiment to find their weakness. For instance...
       those fairies are weak to projectiles. Therefore, when I hit
       them with my slingshot, they fall down and I get another turn.
       Understand? Good. Let's hurry." Pounce raced across the bridge
       before he could respond.
       Down the corridor, a horrifying sight greeted them. The the
       tunnel led to a balcony. Down below, blurry red and orange
       shapes trudged. Guards flanked the Skywings. When one of them
       moved too slow, they were dragged out of the line, and pulled
       out of sight. The screams were coming from the dragons below.
       "I knew it was something like this. When I infiltrated this
       area earlier, he was spouting about how he was making sure his
       soldiers wouldn't betray him again. This is probably some type
       of horrid fantasy he has. Let's keep going." Pounce crouched
       down, and moved along the railing. A door was placed on the
       other side of the balcony, slightly ajar. Ahead surely contained
       more contraptions and horrors.
       Carnelian stood frozen, gazing at the Skywings with a
       frightened expression. Winter looked on with concern. "Shouldn't
       we help them?" Pharaoh whispered to Pounce, who had his head
       stuck through the door opening.
       "Are you kidding me? Why should we? It's not real. It's
       just something Cardinal wants to do, but he can't. That's why it
       showed up in the Palace. There's no point in rescuing these
       illusions. Concentrate on the real task at hand." Bandit replied
       curtly, and entered the next room. Winter nudged Carnelian, who
       snapped out of her trance and followed.
       The next room was a peaceful hallway. The floor was made of
       checkered pink and black tiles. Corinthian, marble pillars held
       up the ceiling. The marble walls were lined with paintings, many
       of which were simply self-portraits of Cardinal and his
       treasure. The lighting was more sparse, and there were stretches
       of darkness throughout various parts of the hall.
       "Perfect. We should be able to get past the patrols
       easily." Pounce dove into the nearest hiding spot, and then the
       next. The others tried to mimic him as best as they could.
       At the end of the hall, a grand, red gate loomed over them.
       "Looks important. Let's proceed with caution, Pharaoh." Pounce
       whispered, and slunk close. Pharaoh pressed his talons on the
       door. It glided open soundlessly. Pounce flashed through the
       narrow crack, followed by Carnelian. Winter passed through, and
       Pharaoh came through last. He eased the door closed slowly, and
       rejoined his friends.
       They were in a wide chapel. An altar was erected in the
       front, and pews were arranged in rows. The altar stood on a
       stage, which led up to a stain-glass mural of Cardinal. The
       Skywing was wearing a a jeweled crown and a red robe. The glass
       was still able to capture the insufferable expression on his
       face. He sneered at the dragons, as if daring them to come
       closer. Pharaoh noticed something glittering on the altar.
       A glowing mass floated above the white marble, spreading
       rainbow shards of light everywhere. It flowed slowly, like a
       viscous liquid.
       "There it is! That's the treasure." Pounce whispered
       excitedly, shaking with excitement. "I didn't think we'd find it
       so easily." The Rainwing began to make his way down the steps
       leading toward the chapel.
       "There isn't a soul in sight. No one at all. Is he cocky
       enough to assume that no one would make it this far?" Winter
       muttered dubiously, before following Pounce. Carnelian hurried
       after, her mouth set in a grim line.
       Perhaps he is arrogant enough to neglect this room...I'm
       still worried though. It was really easy to get here, I thought
       there'd be more traps and guards. Pharaoh crept down the
       stairway, reuniting with his friends at the glowing mass.
       "So how do we steal this?" Carnelian asks Pounce. She tried
       to grab the glowy mass, but her talons passed right through.
       "First, we need to make it materialize. A treasure is in
       this form by default, and we can't steal it when it's like
       this." Pounce gazes at the Treasure with sparkling, blue eyes.
       "We need to convince the Palace ruler that their treasure is in
       danger. By making them believe their Treasure is in danger, they
       go in high-alert mode; their Treasure will also materialize into
       a solid form. We need to give them something... or tell them
       something. Not in person of course, we'll need to have an
       anonymous way to convey the message."
       "How about a calling card? In a whole lot of scrolls, a
       group of thieves would send a card to signal the victim of an
       upcoming crime. It would help draw attention without leaking our
       indentities." Pharaoh suggested.
       "A good plan. I suppose you are quite smart." Winter nods,
       and nudges Carnelian. The Skywing gives a small murmur of
       acknowledgement. She nervously scans the area.
       "Alright! We secured the route to the Treasure. I need to
       tell you guys this though; once we send the calling card, we'll
       have to steal the Treasure on the same day. The effect of the
       calling card only lasts temporarily, a day is the minimum.
       However, again, we don't want to risk it. Once the Treasure
       fades away, there isn't a way to make it take form again. The
       ruler won't fall for the same thing twice." Pounce flicks his
       tail happily. "Good work everyone! Let's go home for now." The
       Rainwing jumps off the stage, spreading his wings for balance.
       Carnelian lets out a breath, and they all follow him.
       
       "Not so fast."
       Pharaoh whips around, but couldn't move away. A heavy
       weight slammed into him, pressing him into the ground. He
       snarls, and summons his Persona. "Get off me!"
       The weight only presses harder. The green-tinted wind blows
       at the offender, but they don't budge. Pharaoh's eyes widen in
       shock.
       "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you expect that to work again? I
       expected you would be back, so I set up a little trap." Cardinal
       chuckles, appearing from the corners of Pharaoh's vision. "I'll
       admit, you shocked me last time. I'm prepared this time around,
       so struggling is futile." Cardinal steps in the middle of the
       struggle. Four guards hold one dragon each. These guards are
       much larger, and their armor is made of a bronze metal. The mask
       on their face is blue. Pounce struggles fiercely nearby. The
       guard holding him down rains blow after blow, and the Rainwing
       eventually tires, looking sullen.
       "You sloth-brained armadillo! Rotten banana-breath'd
       pirahna!" Pounce hisses at Cardinal, who only smirks. The
       Skywing sidles up to Carnelian, while Winter hissed insults of
       his own.
       "Hello, dear. I never thought you'd be back." Cardinal
       crouched down, so that he could see her face clearly. Carnelian
       eyes are wide open, and she is hyperventilating. Her cheerful
       bravado had been slipping off gradually, as they ran through the
       palace, and Pharaoh could finally see why. Whatever happened
       during that lesson, it scarred her. She tried to overcome her
       fear by coming here, but now...
       
       Cardinal ran a talon down Carnelian's face, smiling widely.
       "I would've thought you'd have given up. No one else is going to
       support you; certainly not your friends here. These Shadows here
       are resistant to their magic. They can't save you." Winter and
       Pounce fell silent, eyes trained on the exchange.
       "Well, I like you, Carnelian. You can abandon your friends
       here; they're a lost cause! If you apologize, I might forgive
       you." Cardinal tightened his grip on her face. leaning in
       closer. "Actually, you have no other options I'm afraid. What'll
       be, my sweet princess?"
       "Carnelian!" Pharaoh yelled out. The two Skywings turned to
       look at him. Cardinal growled, while Carnelian still looked
       petrified.
       "There's still hope, Carnelian. You still have one ally."
       Pharaoh called out desperately. The guard shoved his snout into
       the ground. Please realize. The inner you... Pharaoh painfully
       twisted his head upwards. "Don't you hate him?! He harmed your
       fellow Skywings. He disobeyed Queen Ruby! You HAVE to hate him!"
       Carnelian stopped trembling. Her eyes focused on something
       far away, and she relaxed. Her eyes closed, and she took a shaky
       breath.
       "Hey!" The guard bashed Pharaoh over the head, and
       Cardinal shook Carnelian's head roughly. "No one will help you!
       Can't you see!"
       Carnelian bit him on the finger. Cardinal let go with a
       screech. Carnelian opened her eyes, and calmly stared at her
       tormentor.
       
       "If no one will help me, then I'll just have to help myself,
       won't I?"
       
       ~ Carnelian ~
       
       Carnelian felt her resolve piece itself together; The same
       feeling of bravery that she felt when she charged into battle.
       She trusted her Queen. She fought for someone she knew was
       noble. However, this was different.
       Qibli was right. Her true self was calling out. She
       couldn't deny her fear, but she could rebel against the person
       who had planted it there.
       
       ~~~
       
       So, you can finally hear my voice. The clouds of fear have
       dispersed, and your vision is clear. Do you see it?
       
       Carnelian swallowed, trying to stop her shaking limbs.
       
       The vision of victory stands before us. Let us proceed
       forward... The "inner you" demands it so.
       
       "Get on with it already." Carnelian growls with sudden ferocity.
       She felt a sudden pulse of pain, as a migraine thundered through
       her head.
       
       Perfect. You have rejoined the path, no longer astray.
       
       I am thou, Thou art I...
       
       The time is upon us. Your sword is sharpened, your fire roaring
       within. The banner of rebellion has been hoisted. Let us rise
       up, in glorious crusade!
       
       The weight rested upon her snout. The final step. Carnelian
       grasped her talons around the shape. Her eyes glowed.
       Carnelian ripped off her mask, expelling the guard that pinned
       her down. Light filled the room.[/font]
       #Post#: 1146--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:49 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 8 pt. 3
       Carnelian
       Carnelian stood up straight. The weight lifted off her
       shoulders, and she stared down Cardinal. Her Persona rose up
       behind her.
       "Looks like you're wrong, featherbrain. I don't need to
       hear to rest of your speech to know that you're full of seagull
       splat." She started advancing towards him. The Skywing teacher
       backed away fearfully.
       "Don't think you can try to toy with me, scumbag. I'm gonna
       burn this castle to the ground, rip off your crown with my own
       two hands. No one will ever suffer because of you, again."
       Carnelian spat out her words. The guard that pinned her down
       earlier charged at her. She dodged out of the way, as the guard
       swung at her.
       "Freila!" She called out, and her Persona acted
       accordingly. A nuclear ball of light hit the guard, and he
       disintegrated into pieces. "Hold on tight, everyone." Carnelian
       set her sights on the three other guards. Similar orbs of energy
       blasted apart the remaining guards.
       Pharaoh lept to his feet, along with Winter and Pounce.
       "Jeanne...you're right. My own justice... my own strength.
       This is what I'll follow from now on." Carnelian zeroed in on
       Cardinal, who was running to the balconey.
       "GET BACK HERE!" Carnelian roared. She pursued him,
       followed by her teammates. Outside, Cardinal leaned on the
       railing. Carnelian stepped forward, a menacing presence.
       Her Persona came in the form of a female seraph. Its skin
       was a metallic silver, and copper waves of metal spread out
       behind it like hair. Three pairs of mechanical wings were
       attached to its back. The figure wore a simple, white dress that
       exposed the stomach and chest. The skin on the exposed area was
       clear, revealing an intricate set of copper clockwork. The gears
       turned consistantly, a reliable and constant sound. Jeanne had
       glowing, golden eyes. Its entire body was one giant, well-oiled
       machine, a protective spirit. In its hands, it held a large,
       golden banner. Intelligible red marks marred the surface,
       obscuring the words. A three-pronged crown perched on the
       Persona's head.
       Carnelian and the rest of the group surrounded Cardinal,
       moving closer and closer. Suddenly, the Palace ruler smirked.
       Wing beats thundered overhead, and Carnelian was almost squished
       by a huge talon.
       An enormous griffin stood between them and Cardinal. The
       Skywing was laughing, his eyes like a maniac's. "Stop me? I'd
       like to see you try!" Still cackling, Cardinal hopped onto the
       griffin, who took off into the sky.
       Pharaoh summoned Set, and tried to use Garu against the
       beast. Its yellow eyes glinted, and it nimbly dodged the
       torrent. Carnelian tried using Jeanne's magic, but it was
       avoided as well.
       "Our attacks aren't hitting it!" Pounce called out
       frantically. "We can't do anything!"
       "Let's retreat." Pharaoh said, out of the blue. "We know
       where the treasure is now, right? This battle is futile." The
       Sandwing backed off, and ran back inside the Palace.
       Pounce and Winter followed. Carnelian gritted her teeth,
       Cardinal's laugh echoing in her ears. Reluctantly, she lept back
       into the Palace.
       "HAH! Cowards! I knew you couldn't do it!" Cardinal's voice
       rang out from atop the griffin. He made no move to reenter the
       castle.
       
       Pharaoh clutched the necklace around his neck grimly. "That
       gryffin can sense our attacks before it hits it. We can't do
       anything." Pounce mutters, despondent. Winter stands awkwardly
       to the side.
       "Return us to the real world." Pharaoh says to the
       navigator.
       
       Returning to the real world.
       
       ~~~
       
       "We can't just leave him alone!" Carnelian snarls, shaking
       her head. The three dragons were dropped at the entrance of the
       academy. The stars were beginning to sparkle in the purple sky.
       "The only option is to find another teammate." Qibli says
       grimly. "Maybe someone out there is able to take that thing
       down."
       "So we're just going to hunt for something that might never
       happen?" Carnelian tries to control her anger, managing to dial
       it back slightly.
       "Is there any other choice? We'll just have to hope."
       Bandit, back in cat form, dangles from Qibli's neck. Carnelian
       sighs, and nods.
       "Fine...I guess I'll go meet with Moon and Kinkajou then."
       Carnelian is about to head in, when Qibli places a hand on her
       shoulder.
       "Actually, go to the infirmary, pretend to be hurt and
       asleep." Qibli orders. "I have an idea. If my memory serves
       correct, Aviation is our first class tomorrow. I can convince
       Sunny to let us visit you, so we can skip Aviation. However, you
       can't let on that you're actually healed, or else you'll be
       released back into classes."
       Carnelian nodded. With no more words to say, she walks into
       the mountain. Her friends disappears when she turns the corner.
       She watches the corridors carefully, and sneaks into the
       infirmary.
       The nurses are gone, and the room is peaceful. The
       Nightwing patient is still sleeping in the shadows. Carnelian
       recognizes her as Moonwatcher, her clawmate. I remember hearing
       the nurses talk about an explosion. She must've been hurt in it.
       Carnelian yawns, and walks to her moonlit bed. She lays
       down on it, but something pokes her side. Confused, she rolls
       over and picks up the object.
       Its a necklace. The exact same necklace that Qibli has.
       
       Carnelian's heart skips a beat. She carefully places it next to
       her pillow, out of sight. She lies back down on the bed, and
       falls into fitful sleep. A quiet, hushed conversation makes its
       way through her mind.
       
       "Another comrade has joined the battle. As such, I have given
       her the same gift I have given you. May you both achieve great
       progress. I'll be looking forward to it." [/font]
       #Post#: 1147--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:50 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 9
       Carnelian
       Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves. A beam struck
       Carnelian's eye, and she woke up. She cracked one eye open to
       scan for the nurses.
       The room seemed empty, except for Moonwatcher who was still
       sleeping away. Then, Carnelian saw the prehensile tail of one of
       the Rainwing nurses. She was standing in the doorway, conversing
       with someone.
       "Oh, she's still sleeping...we shouldn't wake her! She
       needs to recover!" The nurse was rambling on, but the dragon she
       was talking to was adamant.
       "That Skywing is a good friend of ours, we really are
       worried. We won't disturb her, we promise." Qibli's voice came
       from outside. They did say that they were going to come visit. I
       guess it's about time for Aviation.
       "Oh, a friend!" The nurse said cheerfully, and let the two
       dragons in. "Well then, you two gentlemen seem trustworthy, I'll
       leave her to you then." The Rainwing walked over to Moonwatcher.
       "Good grief, Rainwings really are lazy. Well, I would've
       suggested it if she didn't bring it up." Qibli sighed, and
       blocked the nurse's view. "We can't let them see that you've
       completely healed, so we'll pretend to change the bandages."
       "It is fortunate that Rainwings are quite dense. She didn't
       find it strange at all that we have a 'Skywing friend', despite
       the fact that we are all in different tribes." Winter sat down
       next to Qibli.
       "Great, great. It's so irksome to stay still like this
       though." Carnelian groaned. "But it's for the greater good of
       avoiding Colonel douchebag so I'll have to bear with it."
       "That's the spirit!" Qibli chuckled softly, before sneaking
       a glance at Moonwatcher. "Say...how is she doing? Moon?"
       "I didn't pay much attention. I just woke up, after all."
       Carnelian couldn't see the Nightwing patient, since Qibli's and
       Winter's bodies blocked her view. "Doesn't look like she moved
       at all, though."
       "That is truly worrying." Winter muttered. "This mysterious
       animus healed you, but not her?"
       "Animus?" Carnelian looked at Winter quizzically.
       "I reasoned that an animus must be responsible for your
       quick recovery." Qibli explained. "After all, animi still exist.
       Stonemover, for example, is still alive; although you couldn't
       really say he's 'alive and well'."
       "So, you think an animus was responsible? Well, I should
       thank him, but don't animi lose their souls with every spell? If
       there's an animus among the students, that would be worrying."
       Carnelian wiggled one of her talons experimentally.
       "We don't have any proof right now, so all we can do is see
       if they make another move." Bandit, in his normal, catty self,
       dropped from his normal position around Qibli's neck.
       "Hmph. We have this time, but we can only make idle
       chatter." Winter grumbled, and Carnelian had to agree with him.
       "Shouldn't we discuss about that roadblock? How exactly can
       we 'find a new team member'? It's not like we can just randomly
       drag students into the Metaverse." Carnelian was reminded of
       what happened last night. "Oh! Right. I wanted to ask you,
       Qibli." She slowly reached next to her pillow, and pulled out
       the edgy necklace. "Don't you have one of these?"
       "Huh? Yeah... it's exactly the same." Qibli held up the
       pendant to his own necklace, while Carnelian returned her arm to
       its original placement. "The Master mentioned how he gave the
       same gift to someone else..."
       "Master?" Carnelian moved her head a bit forward. "You're
       not getting up in some shady business, are you? Aren't you an
       upstanding citizen?"
       "Of course not! I'm completely loyal to Queen Thorn." Qibli
       hissed loudly, attracting an odd look from the nurse. "Forget I
       said anything."
       "Perhaps you are more dark than I thought. Intriguing."
       Winter murmured, completely serious. Carnelian suppressed her
       giggles.
       "Sorry to interupt, but let's hold our war meeting." Bandit
       sat on Carnelian's shoulder hump, raising a delicate, white paw.
       "Alright, so here are the facts: That griffin has some sort
       of forewarn ability. It avoids our attacks before they can hit
       it. The element doesn't matter; it avoids it all. Physical
       skills are out of the question, since we can't even reach it in
       the sky. As a result, our heist is at a standstill. Also,
       there's no guarantee that Cardinal will keep his treasure in the
       same place. Nor will he make it as easy, now that we almost
       bested him twice." Carnelian and Qibli nodded. Winter scooted
       backwards a bit, as if he wanted to exit the conversation. He
       doesn't have any Persona powers yet, so he feels like he doesn't
       belong. How about this, then?
       "Hey Winter, you're one of Queen Glacier's nephews right?"
       Winter seemed shocked at being addressed. "That means you
       must've spent a fair amount of time in her court. You probably
       have the best experience in strategic planning and diplomacy."
       "Qibli has a better knack for that." Winter retorted,
       turning away again.
       "We need all the ideas we can get, so get your butt over
       here! Every suggestion is a welcome one." Carnelian smiled when
       Winter looked back at them again.
       "In order to bypass that griffin, we need someone who can
       nullify that forewarn." Qibli ponders. "How could someone do
       that though?"
       "We'd need to change the very code of the Metaverse."
       Bandit pipes up. "Or, we need someone who can attack quickly and
       silently. Like a ninja! If that griffin can't see them coming,
       then we can hit it!"
       "But that griffin seems to have the ability to see the
       future." Winter interjects. "We need to remove that element."
       "We need someone who has such specific abilities, but can
       we really find someone like that?" Carnelian lets out a
       despondent sigh. "This feels hopeless."
       "We need something else to work with." Bandit days
       suddenly. "How about I introduce you guys to something?"
       "What?! Now?" She jolts up a bit in shock.
       "Yes. Carnelian, pick up that necklace you have. Let's see
       if it works the same as Qibli's" Bandit nudges the Metaverse
       Navigator.
       "Okie then." As discreetly as possible, Carnelian clutched
       her talons around the moonstone pendant.
       "Ahem, ahem." Bandit clears his throat. "Let's go to
       Mementos!"
       
       ~~~
       "Ow ow ow..." Carnelian hissed, rubbing her snout. The Navigator
       had dropped her head-first into... Skywing territory? She
       whipped her head around, while the others recovered their
       footing. Pounce, of course, had landed perfectly.
       The area certainly looked like the Skywing territory, but
       it was clearly different at the same time. The sky was the same
       hues of red that it was like at the Palace. The trees appeared
       as black sillouettes, and overall lighting was dim. It was as if
       some kind of Dark Hour had taken ahold of the land.
       "So this is where we start." Pounce didn't seem shocked at
       all, casually sitting down on the rock they were all standing
       on. "This is Mementos."
       "Woah! Where is this?" Pharaoh scans the area, wearing his
       mask. Carnelian realizes that she too has something on her
       snout.
       "This looks exactly like a certain part of Skywing
       territory." Carnelian says, touching her mask.
       "Except...Mementos? Is this what it looks like?"
       "'Mementos is another part of the Metaverse. It takes a lot
       of distortion to have a Palace; therefore, not everyone has a
       desire twisted enough to create a Palace. Mementos is where the
       desires of the common population take form. There are various
       mini-palaces in Mementos, where smaller-scale cognitions take
       form." Pounce spoke knowingly, shooting a smug look at the rest
       of them. "I'm a veteran of the Metaverse, so I know all about
       it."
       "Ok then, know-it-all, can you explain why this place looks
       like the Skywing territory?" Carnelian took a tentative step,
       before jerking backwards in shock. Whenever she took a step, it
       was like she had stepped in a puddle. Some sort of hot pink
       liquid splashed up under her talons.
       "Mementos is for the common folk, so it takes place in an
       area where many dragons live. It isn't as distorted, so it still
       looks like the original location. Nifty, huh?" Pounce stretched
       his wings, before continuing. "As we strengthen our powers, we
       can access new areas. For now, let's keep to the Skywing
       Kingdom. Now then. Carnelian, it's codename time!" Pounce jumped
       up excitedly.
       "Jeanne 'd Arc, also known as Joan of Arc." Pharaoh
       mutters. "What an admirable Persona. It looks like a clockwork
       angel, doesn't it? Perhaps we should call you 'Tinkerer'."
       "Uhhh, no thank you. I'm horrible with piecing stuff
       together." Carnelian shakes her head. Pounce offers the next
       suggestion.
       "I know! Let's call you 'Angel'. Simple enough, right?"
       "No to that one too." Carnelian shakes her head again. "I'm
       far from perfect."
       "How about 'Paladin', then? You're a noble soldier of Queen
       Ruby's army, as was Jeanne during that war." Winter offered.
       "Oh! Perfect!" 'Paladin' smiled. "Alright then, call me
       Paladin when we're in the Metaverse." She patted her mask one
       last time.
       The mask was three-pronged; flat on the top, with three
       ends. One prong was on the bridge of her snout, while the other
       two were at the edges of her face. It looked like the medieval
       helmet of a knight. One notable distinction was the intricate
       system of gears. The gears lined the corners, leading up to two
       small, metal wings on either side of the mask. Rectangular slits
       allowed her to see out of the mask.
       "Sooo..." Paladin trailed off, looking at Pounce. "What
       now?"
       "Even in Mementos, we can trigger 'changes of heart'.
       However, we still have to know their names or else we'll never
       find them. Buuut, we're not here for that anyway!" Bandit
       bounded to the edge of the rock. "You were bored, right? This
       should be exciting enough for you, Paladin. Let's go find some
       Shadows! This place has plenty." Bandit closed his eyes, and
       seemed to be concentrating.
       "I guess we should start flying around the--" Pharaoh began
       to say.
       "Huuuuuuuuuu...!" Pounce started making weird noises.
       "Erm, you ok there, buddy?" Carnelian said, padding closer.
       Pounce suddenly jumped into the air, and fell down as... a
       bus?
       "C'mon! Get in! We don't have all day." Pounce's voice came
       from the bus. It was the same black as Pounce's fur/scales, and
       the headlights were the same shade of blue as his eyes.
       "...Pounce? Is that you?" Winter said incredulously. "Why
       are you a bus?"
       "I dunno. I think there's a game really similar to this
       fanfic, where a cat turned into a bus. I mean, this whole story
       is based off that that game's premise so I guess that's where it
       came from." Pounce says, casually breaking the fourth-wall.
       "Welp. Let's climb in then." Pharaoh crawled through the
       car door, and Paladin follows.
       "How do we even know what a bus is?" Winter mutters, also
       entering.
       "What are you guys doing, all sitting in the back? I still
       need someone to drive, y'know!" Pounce calls out irritably. The
       voice emanates within the interior, scaring the stuffing out of
       Paladin.
       "I highly doubt any of us can actually drive a scavenger
       contraption, but whatever. I'll do it." Winter moves to the
       driver's seat, examining the buttons and levers. "Alright, let's
       try it out."
       ~~~
       
       After several near crashes, and several collisions with Shadows,
       the group is exhausted. They ran all over the cognitive
       wilderness of the Skywing Kingdom. They didn't reach the more
       developed cities of the Kingdom, still exploring the outskirts.
       Finally, they returned to their original vantage point.
       "This place is really accurate." Paladin says thoughtfully.
       "So this is the power of cognition." Winter nods, and gets
       out from the driver door.
       "You're great at driving Winter!" Pharaoh laughs, and slaps
       Winter on the back. "Even though we're dragons, and not supposed
       to be bipedal!"
       "Shush Pharaoh! The creator's gonna get mad at us." Pounce
       hissed, and was very correct. The Rainwing changed back into a
       dragon.
       "Let us return home then." Winter finishes, and Paladin
       pulls out her Navigator.
       
       ~~~
       Luckily, this time they dropped directly into the infirmary. The
       nurses were absent, so they didn't notice the three dragons and
       a cat tumble in. Quickly, Carnelian lay back on her leaf bed.
       "That was relaxing." Qibli chuckles. "Stealing Cardinal's
       Treasure is important, but rewinding and refreshing yourself is
       also necessary."
       "Yeah... I feel a lot better now." Carnelian smiled at
       Winter, who evidently felt the same.
       "Yup! It was a good opportunity to strengthen our Personas.
       Don't worry Winter, I won't let any Shadows ruin your beautiful
       face." Bandit pats the Icewing's face lovingly, before Winter
       shakes him off.
       Qibli's happy expression fades. Carnelian looks at him,
       realizing he was looking at something behind her. The Skywing
       whips her head back.
       Moonwatcher is awake, and watching the dragons with
       confusion. "C-Carnelian? You're a-awake! That's won..derful."
       She stammers out.
       Did she notice us coming back? "Yeah! Not completely, but
       I'm feeling better." Carnelian quickly blurts out. Moonwatcher
       blinks at Qibli and Winter, her expression unreadable.
       "Wow...you have friends already. They care so much...so
       much for you. That's wonderful...wonderful..." Carnelian looks
       at Moonwatcher with concern.
       "Hey...are you alright?" Carnelian calls out to her. The
       Nightwing flinches a bit. "I'm fine. My burns are healing." She
       doesn't add anything else.
       Qibli and Winter stayed silent during the exchange. After
       Moonwatcher falls asleep again, Winter whispers in her ear.
       "Is that Nightwing right in the brain? I do not mean it as
       an insult!" Winter retorts before Qibli could say anything. "I'm
       proposing it as a serious concern."
       "So... you're saying she might have PTSD? The Nightwing's
       volcano home exploded not too long ago. Perhaps she's disturbed
       by that?" Qibli replies.
       "Her scales are dull, and she has bags under her eyes.
       Also, her posture is quite horrendous." Winter adds on.
       "However, her symptoms aren't the same as the other Nightwings."
       "Really? You've taken such an intense interest in
       Nightwings." Carnelian exclaims.
       "Nightwings are the sworn enemy of Icewings, ever since
       Foeslayer took Prince Arctic and hatched Darkstalker. I am
       merely scouting out my enemies." Winter replies coldly.
       Moonwatcher lets out a whimper in her sleep. Carnelian
       looks sympathetically over at her. "Well, it's possible that
       she's having nightmares of the volcano right now, right?"
       "That's definitely a possibility." Qibli murmurs, and
       clutches his Navigator in his claws. He studies the
       oddly-colored moonstone. "Moon...Moonwatcher. That's a beautiful
       name."
       
       Coordinates found.[/font]
       #Post#: 1148--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:51 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 10
       Carnelian
       "Hey...I wasn't the only one who heard that, right?"
       Carnelian asked nervously. Moonwatcher has a Palace?
       "No, I heard it too." Qibli replies. Winter nods solemnly,
       a thoughtful look on his face. The Icewing didn't seem
       particularly upset,  but Carnelian wasn't too surprised; he had
       just said that he regarded Nightwings as enemies. Qibli, on the
       other talon, shot him a dark look.
       "Woah! A new opportunity." An oblivious Bandit flicked his
       tail. "Let's explore first thing tomorrow the--"
       "We do not know her other keywords." Winter interrupts
       again, still thinking. "I propose we strike up a conversation
       tomorrow, when we come visit you Carnelian."
       "Oh, right. Sounds like a plan then Winter!" Bandit leaps
       onto Qibli's back, and purrs. "It's getting late, Qibli. Go to
       sleep."
       "Eh?! The sun hasn't even completely set yet!"
       "Did I stutter, Qibli? You should go to sleep." Bandit
       smiles at the Sandwing. Even though the statement wasn't
       directed at her, Carnelian shivered. Is that cat a prison warden
       or something?
       "R-right...well, good night...Carnelian..." Qibli slowly
       backed out of the room, still looking nvervously at Bandit.
       Winter murmured a quick goodbye and followed. Carnelian rested
       her head on her forearms, and watched the sunlight dissapate.
       
       
       ~Qibli~
       
       "Hey hey! How's school?" Fatespeaker burst through the main
       hall, bumping into various students. "She zoomed toward Qibli
       and Winter.
       "AGH!" Qibli screamed as the Nightwing bowled him over.
       "Cease and desist, crazy lady." Winter muttered. Qibli
       untangled himself, and caught his breath.
       "I was sent by Sunny! She says you didn't attend any
       classes yesterday. She's quite concerned; do you have a reason?"
       "We were visiting a friend. She will know who we are
       talking about." Winter said calmly. He turned, and walked toward
       the cafeteria without another word.
       "Wow. You have it tough." Fatespeaker directed that
       statement to Qibli, pouting.
       "He's much friendlier when you get to know him. Welp, off I
       go!" Qibli hurried after his friend.
       
       "Finally, we ditched her." Winter muttered at the entrance of
       the cafeteria.
       "I'm guessing you don't like her very much." Qibli peeked
       into the cave. "I guess we should get some food for Carnelian
       too."
       "Fish! TUNA!" Qibli realized Bandit wasn't around his neck.
       The puma was zooming toward the fish pile faster than a certain
       blue hedgehog.
       "..." Qibli and Winter were both silent.
       Bandit snatched a large bluefin tuna from the pile, tugging
       viciously at the slimy scales.
       "Eek! What is that?" A pretentious voice called out over
       the mayhem.
       "That's our cue Winter." Qibli said tiredly. He ran into
       the cafeteria cave, and scooped up Bandit. The puma kept a
       vice-like grip on his fish. "Sorry about that...he really likes
       tuna fish   and--"
       "Keep that thing on a leash!" The voice from earlier was
       flustered. Qibli took a closer look at the owner.
       It was a Seawing dragonet. Her scales were pale blue;
       almost as pale as an Icewing's. At the edges, her scales were
       rosy pink. A distinctive swirling pattern lined the underside of
       her wings.
       "Princess Anemone! What ails you?" Another Seawing crept
       forward. He was slightly older, and looked stern. The Seawing
       glared at the pair of dragons. "Who are you two? Why are you
       troubling Princess Anemone?"
       "Ah, sorry sorry. My pet cat went berserk, he's really
       hungry." 'Princess' Anemone narrowed her eyes, and raised a
       finger. Qibli felt a dark foreboding. "We'll be off now, see
       ya!" Qibli hurried over to the pile of meat, out of sight of the
       Seawing dragons.
       "So, she is royalty as well." Winter peeked over at the
       pinkish Seawing. "What a peculiar color."
       "Now's not the time Winter. Grab some food and we need to
       skedaddle." Qibli hurried scooped up a fluffy mountain goat and
       a couple lemmings. Lemmings? Did they go all the way to the Ice
       Kingdom to get these?
       "Right." Winter scanned the cafeteria, before returning his
       gaze to the prey pile. "That Nightwing is absent. I thought
       perhaps she might have been released."
       What's with you? Qibli thought angrily. I thought you cared
       about her, but you almost seem delighted that she has a Palace.
       Is this related to the Icewing-Nightwing feud? Winter looked at
       him questioningly. He had fallen behind. Qibli increased his
       pace.
       
       "Hey! So you're back." Carnelian was sitting up. The sunlight
       shone on her crimson scales, and she seemed to glow. "Is that
       food? Nice! I'm hungry." The Skywing snatched up the mountain
       goat, and began gobbling it down.
       Winter picked up a lemming and Qibli picked up a lizard.
       Bandit gnawed away at his fish at an alarming rate. "Mrrrr." The
       Rainwing cat purred contently.
       "Hmm...food?" Moon poked her head up. Qibli waved at her, a
       big grin plastered on his face.
       "We have some extras, want some?" Qibli ripped off a chunk
       of meat from Carnelian's mountain goat. She gave him an annoyed
       look, but didn't protest.
       "Oh! Thank you..." Moon shifted her body, and sat up. Qibli
       dropped the meat in front of her.
       "How are you feeling?" Winter sat next to him. Carnelian
       still lay on her bed, but her ears were angled toward them.
       "Ah! I-I'm feeling b-better." Moon seemed scared of Winter,
       even though the Icewing was acting considerably nicer. "They're
       g-gonna release me tomorrow."
       "That's great!" Qibli said cheerfully. I should tread
       carefully.
       "So, what do you think of this place?" Winter says
       casually. Moon remains silent for a couple heartbeats, looking
       confused. She looks at Qibli first, then at Winter. However, her
       eyes didn't meet theirs.
       What's she doing? Qibli thought. As soon as he finished
       that thought, Moon snapped up. It was as if someone shocked her.
       "I-I'm fine! Just a bit tired."
       "O-ok then." Qibli was a bit surprised. "Well, I'm curious
       too. What's this place like?"
       "This Academy, you mean? I-I love it! It's...it's..."
       Moon's voice trailed off. Her eyes grew dark, and her mouth
       formed a grim smile.
       "You can be honest with us." Carnelian calls out from her
       bed. "Do you really like this place?"
       Qibli waited for the answer, tense.
       "Um...um...!" Moon's head snapped back up. "W-why are you
       asking me? Why me?"
       "Calm down! We're just curious." Qibli tried to soothe her.
       It didn't seem to work, as the Nightwing's eyes turned wild. She
       didn't say anything; only stared past them with unseeing eyes.
       After a few minutes, Moon relaxed. She saw their frightened
       faces, and quickly apologized. "I-I'm sorry! Really sorry. They
       wouldn't stop talking to me...they never leave me alone." Moon
       whimpered.
       They never stop talking to you? Qibli was intrigued. Moon
       waved her talons in his face, breaking his chain of thought.
       "Eek! Don't say that! Forget about it please." Winter watched
       with interest.
       "Are you...schizophrenic?" Qibli ventured. Moon cocked her
       head to the side, before suddenly exclaiming.
       "Yes! Yes, that's it. It's where you hear voices that
       aren't your own, right? So it's just my mind!" Moon's eyes
       turned crazy again. "Not real, not real not real not real not
       real--" She repeated, clutching Qibli's arm.
       "Woah!" Qibli gently pried off her fingers. "What are you
       talking about?"
       "Thank you!" Moon says cheerfully.
       "Why is that?" Winter asks.
       "I keep on seeing these...shadows. They must be
       hallucinations! They aren't real." Moon smiles. "Not real."
       "...Riiiight. Well, what about our question." Carnelian
       called out again.
       "I didn't want to come." Moon says sadly. "My mother told
       me it was for my own good. She said...once I graduate, I can
       stay with her for good! That's why I came. But ever since I got
       here, I started seeing things...hearing things. I-I thought I
       could already hear it all already, but this is different. I want
       to leave, but I can't. My mom would be disappointed. She won't
       come to my rescue." Moon swallowed, and looked down. "I began
       thinking about things I shouldn't...! Why? Why can't I leave?!
       This place...it's...it's..."
       Winter and Qibli crowded in a bit closer. Carnelian leaned
       forward, determined not to miss a single word.
       "This...place..."
       
       "It's my prison."
       
       Coordinates found.
       
       "Aah! That's really...bad!" Qibli quickly shouted, masking the
       robotic voice. Moon stared at him, silently judging. Qibli felt
       his face heating up.
       "Hmm, yes. 'bad'." Winter hid his smile with his serrated
       talons.
       "Shut it Winter." Qibli hissed out of the corner of his
       mouth.
       Moon smiled again, seemingly much happier. She had finished
       the chunk of meat. Yawning, the Nightwing laid down again. "Good
       night." She murmured, and began sleeping.
       "Schitzophrenic, with a dash of narcolepsy on the side."
       Winter muttered to himself. "Well, that should be it."
       "Huh? Really?" Carnelian interjects. She beckons them to
       come closer. "Don't we still need the 'location' that has been
       distorted'?"
       "She said it herself." Winter says triumphantly. "Jade
       Mountain Acade--"
       "Shh!" Qibli pressed Winter's jaws together. "Don't say it!
       We'll be instantly transferred there."
       "Why not enter now? We need to stop Cardinal as fast as we
       can, and her Palace might hold something we can use."
       "Sounds good!" Bandit jumped in the air, a furry paw raised
       up. "Let's keep this streak goin'~"
       "Uhh, kitty, remember that dragon's lives are on the line
       please." Carnelian mutters to Bandit. She pulls out her
       Navigator. "Get over here then, We don't want to pull her
       along."
       
       "Moonwatcher, Jade Mountain Academy, Prison." Winter talked
       clearly into the Navigator.
       
       Destination found
       
       ~Carnelian~
       
       The first thing she heard was the sound of dripping water.
       Paladin opened her eyes to pitch darkness. There was someone on
       top of her, breathing. She bucked on reflex.
       "Ow!" The voice was Pounce's.
       "Oh! Sorry." She whispered. The Skywing blinked a few
       times, letting her eyes adjust.
       It was the dead of night in the palace. Instead of an
       onimous red, the sky was inky black. No stars twinkled overhead.
       The three moons floated steadily, dispelling a frosty, silver
       moonlight.
       In front of them lay a menacing building. The shape of the
       mountain was familiar, and fairly unchanged. However, the
       friendly aura of the Academy had been flipped on its head.
       Barbed wire fences surrounded the entire compound.
       Fortunately, the group had ended up inside the deadly barrier. A
       flicker of blue light crackled on the black metal of the fence.
       When Paladin looked at the main entrance tunnel, see saw a
       sturdy, iron gate. Shadowy figures stood on either side. All
       other openings were the same; metal gates and shadowy guards.
       "Heh. This feels like a real challenge!" Pounce made his
       scales entirely dark, melting into the shadows. "Stay here for
       now. I'll scout for an opening." The Rainwing crept along the
       wall, virtually invisible. The guards made no move to intercept.
       After what felt like an eternity. Pounce returned. "I found
       an entryway. You won't like it though,"
       Winter, conscious of his glittering scales, nervously
       looked at the guards. "What do you mean by that?"
       "You'll see." Pounce said breezily, and bounded toward the
       right side of the mountain. Pharaoh, Paladin, and Winter
       followed closely.
       A horrible smell assaulted Paladin's noise, and her eyes
       watered. Pounce stopped, and pointed at a rectangular hole in
       the wall. Right below, a pit had been dug. Animal bones,
       leftover scraps, and other similarly gross items were piled in
       it.
       "The garbage chute...hmmph. The end justifies the means."
       Winter says, cupping his talons over his snout. They went
       through the chute one at a time.
       
       Paladin curled up her talons, just like how Pounce had taught
       her at the very beginning of this wild journey. She peered
       around the corner.
       The inside of the prison was no less dreary than the
       outside. The corridor was brightly lit with torches. A row of
       cells were lined up against each side. The room was a long
       corridor, just like in Cardinal's palace. The floor and the
       walls were left as is, a gray-colored stone. The cells were made
       of black iron. Shadowy shapes, same as the guards, filled every
       one of them. Even close-up, Paladin had trouble making out
       distinctive features. After a couple minutes of tense breathing,
       she finally recognized the tribe.
       
       Nightwing.
       
       ~Moonwatcher~
       
       Deep breaths. Moonwatcher steadied her breathing. She had
       woken up in the middle of the night.
       "Hey...Carnelian?" She called out to the other dragon. When
       no reply came forth, she cracked open her eyes.
       The Skywing wasn't there. "...huh? Aah!"
       It started up again. The hallucinations...those shadowy
       shapes. Nightwings. They yelled at her, the faceless shadows of
       her mind. They voiced her fears.
       "You lived a great life in the Rainforest."
       "You doesn't belong in our tribe."
       "Are you even a proper Nightwing? There's something wrong
       with you."
       "Her father was--"
       That statement was always cut short. She wanted to scream;
       "Who was he? What kind of dragon was he?" Her mother would never
       respond, instantly changing the subject. Her mind set up mental
       barriers whenever she thought of him. The desire to know...and
       the desire to escape. They pounded at her everyday. The thoughts
       of others, thrumming constantly, turned into white noise. Those
       shadowy shapes took their place. Sometimes, a mysterious voice
       managed to push through, dispelling the illusions. Moon welcomed
       those moments with great anticipation. Even if what that dragon
       said made no sense, it brought her temporary peace. However,
       still...
       
       Someone...help me.[/font]
       #Post#: 1151--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 7:51 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=andale mono]Chapter 11
       Carnelian
       Pounce made the first move. After watching the guards for a
       while, the Rainwing leaped into the light and blazed down the
       hall. Paladin followed his lead. The shadowy shapes were engaged
       in a conversation with one of the prisoners, and didn't notice
       the intruders.
       She could make out a few bits, as she ran past them. She
       dove next to Pounce. He had raced to the middle of the hall, and
       abruptly turned the corner. Turns out, there was a tunnel --
       perpendicular to the corridor -- on either side. Although there
       were no obstacles to hide behind, there was also no light. As a
       result, all Pounce had to do was stretch his wings and cover the
       rest of the dragons. He turned the same, muddled color as the
       hall.
       Unable to see past his wings, Paladin waited for Pounce's
       cue. Pharaoh and Winter waited behind her in a straight line.
       While she waited, she recollected the tidbit she had heard.
       The guard and the prisoner had been arguing. Both of them
       appeared to be Nightwings. The one in the cage had yelled. "What
       are you doing? We're your comrades."
       The guard had replied. "You've betrayed your Queen for a
       Rainwing dragonet. The warden has deemed you prisoner."
       To this, the prisoner had replied. "Why does the warden's
       daughter go scot free, then? She's the worst traitor of all."
       So, the warden of this prison. Moonwatcher is the Palace
       ruler, but is she the warden? Last I checked, she doesn't have a
       daughter. If she did that'd just be weird.
       Paladin felt a something poke her snout. Pounce prodded her
       again with his tail. "I got it! I got it." She hissed, and
       followed him. Pounce made a mad dash towards the end of the
       hall. He ducked through the arched opening.
       Another room of cages greeted them. "Considering this place
       is a 'prison', this isn't too surprising. We won't find anything
       here though." Pounce scanned the walls. "There might be a door
       leading further into the prison. Finding even the guard's
       quarters would be good."
       Pounce continued to lead the group past the guards, taking
       up vast amounts of distance every time. Paladin's breath started
       to rasp in her throat; she wasn't accustomed to running such
       great lengths. Finally, the Rainwing dove through a door in the
       wall.
       As soon as everyone entered the room, Pounce locked the
       door. "Wow! What great luck!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "We found
       a Safe Room!"
       "What do you mean by th-- woah!" Pharaoh stumbled back in
       shock. For a moment, the room had shifted; their masks had
       disappeared, and the room reverted to its original appearance.
       "Allow me to explain!" Pounce front-flipped onto the crates
       in the middle of the room. "Y'see, 'Safe Rooms' are areas of a
       Palace that aren't as distorted. Thus, the effect that you saw
       earlier." Pounce beckoned for them to sit down. "The Shadows
       won't come here. We can rest here and discuss things, since we
       can't talk normally while infiltrating the Palace."
       "Alright, let me start then." Pharaoh curled his barbed
       tail over his talons. "We're infiltrating Moon's Palace, which
       is in the form of a prison. We decided to enter on the whim that
       there might be something here to help us. Am I right so far?"
       "You're making it seem like you don't want to be here?"
       Paladin responded. "We don't have many options right now; we're
       rather lucky to find a lead like this."
       "I still feel like we should respect her privacy." Pharaoh
       retorted. "She looks really insecure. I don't want to hurt her."
       "I am sure the thought has occurred to you, but that
       Nightwing is hiding something." Winter said, calmly surveying
       the room. "Is it not better that we find out? She's a mess;
       perhaps knowing what she's trying to hide will let us help her."
       "The desires that a Palace stems from aren't all like
       Cardinal's, Pharaoh." Pounce drops down next to the Sandwing.
       "Anyway, if you're afraid to dig into her secrets because of
       what you might find, what kind of thief are you?"
       "Are you even sure where to go, though?" Pharaoh retorts.
       "This place is massive! How're we going to find anything?"
       "Patience, young grasshopper." Pounce begins to walk to the
       door. "Let us be off!"
       "Guess we don't have a choice. C'mon, let's go." Paladin
       followed Pounce back into the Palace.
       
       ~~~
       
       After staring at monotonous rows of cages and gray walls
       for forever, Pounce discovered a new passage. It was locked with
       a sturdy, intricate padlock.
       "The way it's designed, it's been made to be an unpickable
       lock. We'll have to use a key." Pharaoh reasons. "I didn't see
       any guards holding keys though..."
       "Perhaps only higher-ranked guards will have the key. This
       looks to be an important room after all." Winter adds in. "We'll
       have to look around for an overseer, or someone similar."
       "Oh man, more roaming." Paladin groans.
       "I think I have an idea of where one might be." Pounce
       pipes up. The Rainwing of unlimited energy starts streaking
       toward the destination in mind.
       
       Paladin catches up to Pounce. While the rest of the dragons
       catch their breath, he peers around the corner. In the next
       room, a much, much larger shadowy shape is sitting. The
       Nightwing Shadow seems to be muttering, impatiently tapping his
       claws.
       "I passed by this guy earlier, I knew he had to be one of
       the bosses! Let's mug him!" Pounce leaps toward the massive
       dragon.
       "How can you say that so cheerfully..." Paladin mutters as
       she gets ready.
       The Nightwing whirls around. "Who are you ruffians?!" He
       roars. Strangely, the head of the dragon is covered by a helmet
       of sorts. The helmet covers almost the entire face, leaving only
       slits for the eyes.
       Paladin summoned Jeanne, and released her element.
       "Freila!" Pharaoh and Pounce summon their Personas as well.
       Pharaoh releases his wind element, while Pounce's Persona
       readies a punch.
       "Let's get him! I knocked him down!" Zorro's punch had
       knocked down the enemy. "All out attack!"
       
       ~~~
       
       Just before the Shadow disappeared, Paladin snatched the the
       ring of keys that hung from his neck. "Got them! Let's hurry
       back."
       
       It wasn't hard to figure out which key to use. Only one of the
       keys was distinct enough to be a candidate. Sure enough, the key
       fit smoothly in the padlock; it opened up with a simple twist to
       the right. Pharaoh carefully eased the door open, while Pounce
       squirmed excitedly.
       The door led to an expansive courtyard. The moons shone
       brilliantly onto the lush lawn. Or rather, it wasn't quite a
       lawn; the rocky floor had been covered in foliage and shrubbery.
       Under the moonlight, the whole area seemed to glow silver; as if
       hit with a spotlight. At first, the courtyard had seemed silent
       and serene. However, Paladin could now hear faint voices coming
       from the right.
       Pharaoh was the first to peer around the corner. The rest
       of them took up positions around him. At the very right side of
       the courtyard, where the "lawn" met the mountain, there seemed
       to be a commotion. Three shadowy shapes formed a line in front
       of a rectangular, white shape. The white shape, she realized,
       was actually several white cloths spread over the foliage.
       Someone was sitting on the white rectangle.
       
       It was Moonwatcher.
       
       "We can't let you go out, I hope you understand."
       "You'll be much safer here. This is the only place you need to
       be."
       "As daughter of the warden, you must be protected."
       
       The three Nightwing Shadows kept repeating the same three lines,
       over and over, at different times. The end result was a
       cacophony of noise. After hearing it for a while, the words
       started to meld together. Moonwatcher made no reaction to the
       Nightwings, simply staring down at her talons.
       "So that must be her Shadow. The ruler of the Palace."
       Winter whispered, startling Paladin.
       "What now?" Pharaoh hissed at Pounce. "We're no closer to
       figuring out what's happening."
       "We'll have to continue our investigation outside, then."
       Pounce replied. "Perhaps the reason we can't find anything of
       true value...she must be hiding it. After all, this is her
       Palace. It changes based on what she believes. If she wishes to
       conceal her secrets, then her secrets will be concealed. In
       order for us to delve deeper, we'll need to have her open up."
       Pounce retreated back into the prison. "I'm interested in this
       'warden'. However, considering the fact that we haven't met them
       yet, Moonwatcher must also be hiding them. The only thing we can
       do is return, for now."
       Pharaoh's talons quickly fastened around the Navigator.
       "Finally! Bring us back to the real world."
       
       ~Qibli~
       
       "Woah! It's really late." Carnelian scanned the starry, indigo
       sky. "We stayed in there for a long time, and didn't find much."
       "I explained already! We can't proceed any further until we
       talk with Moon." Bandit, back in cat form, quickly clambered
       onto Qibli's back. "Tch. It's already this late...we must make
       haste! To your bed, Qibli!"
       "You're a serious slavedriver when it comes to sleep."
       Qibli sighs. "Let's go Winter."
       "Sleep is an important part of life." Winter chuckles a
       bit, seemingly cheerful.
       "I know right? You agree with me!" Bandit meows happily.
       "Today was a great day."
       "Well, I'll be off then. Let's hope the nurses haven't
       caught on. Moonwatcher is probably asleep, either in her
       sleeping cave or in the infirmary. Let's meet up tomorrow!"
       Carnelian called back, and hurried into the mountain.
       Qibli nodded, and followed. With Winter, he entered their
       sleeping cave. "Pardon us, we lost track of time." Qibli said
       breezily, expecting an onslaught of questions from their
       clawmates.
       
       No reply.
       "Huh?" Qibli looked at the empty cave. "Where's Umber and
       Turtle...?"
       
       The sleeping cave was empty, and didn't show any signs of recent
       use. In fact, the kelp bed had been neatly remade and splashed
       mud had been mopped up. Even Qibli's sand dune and camel pelts
       had been stacked up and swept together again. The scroll racks
       that each of them had were completely empty. Winter, confused by
       his delay, moved up next to him. The Icewing scanned the room.
       A grim expression plastered on his face, Winter spoke
       slowly. "I doubt they would suddenly decide to sleep outside of
       their dorm, considering their characters. Umbli probably thinks
       that napping outside the dorm might be against the rules. Turtle
       doesn't want to stand out, so he'll sleep in his cave like a
       normal student." Winter looks at Qibli.
       "The most likely scenario would be..." Winter began. Qibli
       finishes for him.
       "Why would they be in the infirmary?"[/font]
       #Post#: 1159--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: July 31, 2017, 8:05 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=georgia]There probably won't be another chapter today or
       tomorrow, sorry. Still have to edit the chapters that I
       reposted.[/font]
       #Post#: 1295--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: Phoenixgriffin260 Date: August 1, 2017, 2:57 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Mk
       #Post#: 1338--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Phantom Thieves of Heart -- WoF Edition (Persona 5 x Wings o
       f Fire Crossover Fanfiction {Enchant
       By: EnchantedDragons Date: August 1, 2017, 6:09 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       [font=georgia]whew, done with editing. Let's see if I can write
       up a chapter today[/font]
       *****************************************************
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